Conviction thrown out

November 04, 2004

LAKE COUNTY — A Lake County judge dismissed a conviction Wednesday against a Zion man accused of not registering as a sex offender, but other charges were refiled.

Richard White, 38, was ordered in 1999 to register as a sex offender after his conviction in Wisconsin for having sex with a 17-year-old girl. After failing to register, White was convicted last year under a plea arrangement in which prosecutors dropped other charges. The deal allowed him to avoid prison, but he was jailed later after he violated probation.

Earlier this year, authorities realized that the Wisconsin law under which White was convicted didn't apply in Illinois because the age of consent is 17.

As a result, White didn't have to register in Illinois, said attorney Jed Stone. When Circuit Judge Christopher Starck agreed, Mermel said he would reinstate other charges that were dismissed in the agreement, including felony domestic battery and obstruction of justice.